Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Dear YAB DS Najib: It Is Time for Shahrizat to Stand Down

Tun Mahathir has given his view, the indomitable Tan Sri Rafidah has also given hers and many in UMNO and BN had given their views directly or indirectly but after a three weeks leave Minister Shahrizat did not seemed to get the message.This article from the thechoice.com.my says it best:

We think that any of her past achievements are now in danger of being eclipsed by her ability to distract half the Malaysian body politic from more important matters. Like a transparent discussion of the issues and policy visions of Government and Opposition ahead of GE13.

She is proving a major and unwelcome distraction.

The Wanita Umno chief has returned from performing the Umrah, and remained defiant, even more so perhaps than before. PKR has renewed its assault on her, and Shahrizat, as is her wont, has taken to jibes, jokes, sarcasm and sneering responses, denying any wrongdoing, and most recently denying that the NFC scandal will have any impact on GE13.

She is a distraction.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) continues its investigation. Her family is a target of that investigation.

In a very real way, Shahrizat is caught in a trap. Undeniably, she has neither been charged with anything (nor has her family), nor has she even come under a formal legal proceeding. She is undeniably entitled to due process, to the completion of the MACC investigation, and to the presumption of innocence.

Except that in most democracies, if a minister is under the cloud of even alleged scandal they often stand down in order to try and clear their name.

Shahrizat, whose sneering comments lately have not been the height of good taste, should recognise the damage she is doing to the Umno brand, and to the Government as a whole. She could get out of the way.

Pakatan Rakyat has grabbed onto this issue with all its might, because it has so little substance with which to go to war in GE13. No conviction of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (his mouth appears to be his greatest danger now), no common manifesto, no serious policy proposals, no Shadow Cabinet, nothing.

Whatever the truth of the allegations against her, Shahrizat is a target for an Opposition that has so few.

In response to this, she insults Rafizi Ramli, PKR's strategy director and her chief interlocutor, the man who has personally driven this story in Opposition media. He looks like a statesman with level replies. She makes jokes, and offers vicious comebacks. Few in Umno race to her defence. The walls close in on her, and she has no way out. A statesman would know to bow out gracefully.

The problem seems to be that Sharizat sees this as a battle that is all about her, and not about larger issues of transparency, accountability, and a looming general election.

She is proving a distraction.

We reluctantly but respectfully call on Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to step down, as soon as possible.

I want the BN to win big in the next PRU, perhaps it is time that YAB PM Najib Razak show some leadership here, the decisive kind please.